good friday afternoon. i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm barbara harrison. first to the weather. this is just the first taste of a wet weekend ahead. the rain was falling hard in tieson's corner and sent shoppers scurrying. >> veronica johnson is here to tell us how long the rain will last. >> this is the first wave of this big system that as you know, storm team 4 has been monitoring for the last couple days. what we are getting here with the first round is nothing more than rain. let me zoom into the area. it's just pretty much light showers for the most part throughout gaithersburg. fairfax, manassas and bowie. it's what's coming in over the next couple hours. the rain and intensity is going to step up and pick up. all as we chill down from upper 50s to 60 degrees.

we are at 47 degrees in d.c. look at the cooldown. close to the 30s now. folks in hagerstown, 39 degrees in cumberland, maryland. all this as we get ready for round two. we have more rain for the overnight. then we have the snow and ice that is going to step into the area. the snow and ice, already unfolding over the nation's midsection and ohio valley. reducing quite a bit of ice. when i return in a couple minutes, who is under a winter storm watch. later, what we are going to pick up in terms of how much snowfall and how much ice. that's all in a couple minutes. >> this system is already having a major impact on people with weekend travel plans. scott macfarlane has details. >> the number of canceled flights leaving dallas/ft. worth airport doubled since this morning. 680 departures canceled because

of the wintry weather according to an airport spokesperson. it's more than 80% of the flights schedules. american airlines has the most cancellations across the country. according to flightaware.com a dozen of those flights were come sboog the d.c. area. if you are planning to fly, check with your airline before heading out. back to you. >> with all the nasty weather we are getting and talking about, transportation workers are on high alert. >> slick roads could mean trouble for those out holiday shopping this weekend. adam tuss is in bethesda. >> reporter: sloppy now and expected to get worse. sunday could get worse. v-dot says they are mobilizing for the upcoming storm. the maryland state highway administration checking out the forecast and we'll make a plan be based on that.

a lot of wait and see. drivers, they have heard about this storm. they are getting ready, too. are you nervous? >> nah, i'm used to it. i wish it would hurry up and come. >> reporter: why? >> we need it bad. we need to clean the environment with the snow, sleet and rain. >> reporter: we'll have more at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 including tips on driving around tomorrow. don't want to hear that. in bethesda, adam tuss, news 4. world leaders, athletes and artists are reflecting on the life of nelson mandela today. as we learn about services being planned in south africa. >> president obama and the first lady say they will travel there for the funeral. >> people of all ages, colors and creeds gathered outside his home in johannesburg. plans for the burial are about to take place. there will be a memorial

tuesday. his burial sunday in his hometown. shomari stone is live from the embassy in southwest washington where the flow of visitors has been steady. >> reporter: indeed, the flow has been steady over the last 24 hours. a very sad day here, gloomy like the weather. let me move out the way. you can see the memorial here. this fence was in front of the statue yesterday, but now they moved the fence around the statue so people can drop off, you know, flowers and other things to pay tribute to nelson mandela. let's roll video. hundreds of people have stopped by dropping off candles, notes and photos to honor the former south african president and anti-apartheid leader. he spent 27 years in jail in his

fight against the partheid. >> we had the opportunity to come by and talk about what nelson mandela meant to the world and how it applied in d.c., in our own country as well. >> i'm sad that nelson mandela died. >> as you can see, he touched the lives of several people and, of course, the generations, the young, the old, the black, the white and all different types of religio religions. we have had muslims out here, catholics, christians out here to pay tribute to him. you are looking at a live picture of him. people are signing a condolence book inside the south african embas embassy. they will begin a prayer service each evening from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. until tuesday evening.

a memorial is being planned at the washington cathedral for next wednesday at 11:00 in the morning. another update at 5:00 and 6:00. i'm shomari stone, news 4. former secretary of state, hillary clinton paid tribute as she accepted a human rights award on capitol hill. she called him a giant among us. >> someone who, by the power of his example demonstrated unequivocally how each of us can choose. how we will respond to those in justices and grievances, sorrows and tragedy that is afflict all of human kind. >> clinton said it was fitting he be remembered during a ceremony held for the late congressman tom lantos.

you can read what former u.s. presidents and leaders are saying by going to www.nbcwashington.com. our web team compiled their statements. you can see photos of nelson mandela throughout his life. late this afternoon, a judge set bond for a d.c. police officer charged with taking naked pictures of a 15-year-old girl. to be released, he has to surrender the deed to his house, stay on house arrest and wear a tracking bracelet. he's charged with child important. this is one of two scandals. coming up, pat collins joins us with the latest details of a prostitution race. we'll have reaction from chief cathy lanier. the tree lighting is less than an hour away. we go live as we wait for the first family to join the celebration. it could be your chance to cash in. why so many are talking about

mega millions on this friday. >> veronica is tracking the nasty weather coming our way. >> of course the weather we get on sunday, a winter storm watch for sunday through monday morning. in just a couple minutes, how much snow your neighborhood will get and the impact. it's all in a couple minutes.

some incredible pictures out of dallas, texas where firefighters battled a stubborn underground fire. it happened on main street in downtown dallas. an electrical vault caught fire. 100 firefighters were called to the scene. they evacuated dozens of people from a nearby hotel. it took several hours, but firefighters were able to

contain the blaze. there was no major damage and no one was hurt. good news on the job front. signs the job market is getting stronger. the nation's unemployment rate fell to 7% in november. it's the lowest in five years. analysts say it's because there was a surprising boost in payroll. employers added 203,000 jobs last month. it's 20,000 more jobs than expected. the economy added jobs for four straight months. tributes continue to pour in, the royal couple speaks out about nelson mandela. what they had to say moments after learning of his death. we are live at the national christmas tree lighting. we'll show you the preparations under way and when you expect to see the first family. it's likely going to be a rainy christmas tree lighting.

extremely sad and tragic news. we are reminded what an extraordinary and inspiring man nelson mandela was. my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family right now. >> they expressed condolences to

nelson mandela's family. they learned of the death after attending a screening of the new mandela movie. two of mandela's daughters were there, they learned of the death before the movie ended and asked for the movie to continue. performers will take the stage on the ellipse for the preshow before the national christmas tree lighting ceremony. >> most of the crowd is already in their seats. the first family is expected within the hour. mark segraves joins us live now on the ellipse in the middle of all of it. is it still raining? i guess it is dripping off your parka there. >> reporter: yeah, it's still raining and very cold for the people. let's give you the scene. the people have been waiting for hours to get in. you have seen the lines for the people. they had to go through tight security. all the people got their tickets tlau lottery held months ago.

3,000 reserved seats and space for 14,000 people and standing room. there's a lot of empty seats. there are hundreds of people waiting to get in. there's the stage you see. we'll see the rock band train, aretha frantic lynn, mariah carey amongst others will perform here tonight. it's the first family who will kick things off. the star of the show, that 28-foot tall colorado blue spruce, the national christmas tree. we expect the first family to light it just after 5:00. this is the 91st annual lighting of the annual christmas tree. stay right here. after it to you live. that's the scene from the ellipse, mark segraves, news 4. >> there are a lot of road closures in place because of the tree lighting. d.c. and u.s. park police are directing traffic away from 15th and 17th street around the white

house as well as a small stretch of 18th street and more than 30 metro bus routes could be delayed or detoured this evening. a dozen bus stops will be closed during the lighting ceremony. a powerful storm swept through arkansas today. icy conditions forced fayetteville to shut down roads, close schools and businesses. the governor declared a state of emergency. they helped drivers stuck in the heavy snow. a live report from the heart of the wintry weather is in the midwest. it's coming to you at 4:45. >> we are our own nasty weather to deal with. >> slick roads for a different reason. today, it's all about the rain. so many leaves down make for slick conditions in some lanes. the lanes near the curb. meanwhile, this weekend we are talking freezing rain and icy conditions. out there right now, rain. just plain old rain and fog. the visibility is dropping

throughout the area. let me show you what's going on in storm team 4 radar. you have been dealing with it all day long. frederick, gaithersburg, you are wet. same thing in d.c., waldorf and warrenton. you have more rain that is going to move in. moderate rain coming to areas south of frostburg, maryland. pockets of modern rain until 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. there's your temperature, 47 degrees. we started out in the upper 50s. now, as we go through the next couple hours, temperatures aren't going to drop into the 30s until after midnight. the rain ends around 11:00 p.m. here is what we are expecting. cold conditions later tonight. it's cold throughout the day tomorrow. cold conditions, the winds picking up at times. a partly sunny day. as we step through the day on sunday, we start with snow. then we are going get freezing rain in here. that's everywhere shaded in the pink here for areas like frederick, maryland, leesburg,

locustdale and winchester, freezing rain coming in after a short period of snow. cold enough where we could see a little bit of accumulating snow. this is monday morning. some rain left around the area. temperatures, i think, will be very critical early monday morning. they will fluctuate around 32 to 34 degrees. some locations even lower. i promised i would show how much snow we could get out of the system. frederick, leesburg, warrenton, winchester, around the way, we can see between one and two inches of snowfall accumulate before we switch over to freezing rain. a dusting to maybe an inch through d.c. you folks in greenbelt, prince george's county, annapolis, maryland and through fredericksburg, a dusting to an inch of snow with the time period where the snow accumulates, between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. up to 2:00.

don't think we'll have worries on the area roads for the snow event, it's the freezing rain, the sleet we have to worry about that comes sunday night and monday. let me show you the storm team four day forecast here. 43 degrees on saturday. chilly conditions. the other part of the system moves in sunday at 33 degrees. that's in d.c. other locations, even lower. as we get into monday, 45 dgsz for a high temperature and we are back to rain across the area for tuesday it's rain and snow. in a couple minutes, i showed you how much snow we are going to get on sunday. i'll show you how much ice we could get, where it will accumulate and where the biggest impacts will be for the monday rush. >> thank you. it's the season of giving. for one waitress, it meant a huge surprise. a diner at a friendly's restaurant in vermont ordered a

sundae, paid for it and gave the waitress a $500 tip. it's not the first time he did it. his brother died suddenly and in his will, he asked his family to leave a $500 tip for a server. he now tours it country leaving a big tip. >> it's important to the grieving process and keeping him alive and not feeling like i have lost him, not completely, anyway. >> it's $500. that's a lot of money, you know? it's more about the story. >> along with the cash, seth collins gives out a copy of a book his mother wrote so recipients can learn about aaron's life. >> people around the country will cross their fingers and checking their tickets tonight. the mega millions jackpot stands at $297 million with a cash option of $157 million. right now, the $1 ticket gives you a 1 in 35 million chance of

winning. the drawing takes place at 11:00 tonight. >> gotta go buy one. just like they track you online, retail stores are tracking your every move inside the store. how they are using your smartphone or tablet to see how you spend. two holiday grinches caught on camera stealing christmas deco

philadelphia police are looking for a couple grinches who stole christmas decorations. in this surveilness video you can see a woman taking several decorations from outside a house. it happened about 2:00 in the morning. an hour later, the woman went back, this time with a male companion with her. get a load of this, before they left, a woman stopped to straighten up the christmas tree she knocked over the first time she was there. the security cameras aren't the only ones watching you now. retailers are able to track your every move in a store through your cell phone. chris explains just how they are looking at you. >> reporter: privacy experts call it the spookiest thing a retailer can do, but it's happening a lot. just like what they do online,

retailers are using tracking programs inside stores, tracking a shoppers every move through their smartphone or tab llet. you walk into a store and they can follow you around. >> reporter: they say the data is only used for marketing, but critics, even in congress worry tracking can yield personal info on people. >> once you enter a store or mall, your every move could be tracked, recorded and stored. >> reporter: most unnerving to privacy advocates is that most people don't know. >> if you talk to ten people who walked into a store and they said is it okay for them to follow your cell phone around, they would say no or turn their phones off. >> reporter: retailers agreed to track only a signal, not a person and not store or share collected data. critics say the better idea, turn off the phone.

chris clackam, nbc news. ♪ tributes to nelson mandela are pouring in from around the world. the latest reaction from capitol hill and how you can pay your respects to the leader. the latest developments on the effort to bring a new

good afternoon, i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm pat lawson muse. right now at 4:30, a winter storm watch posted for the washington area for sunday.

there's a big storm sweeping across the south and headed our way. the falling temperatures could make things tricky for folks out shopping or going to church on sunday. late today, a d.c. police officer appeared in court on charges of child pornography. a judge ruled mark washington can be released if he surrenders the deed to his home and stays on house arrest. police are investigating a possible prostitution case against another officer. he has not been charged. a live look at the national christmas tree on the ellipse where, in just about a half hour, the first family will join the crowd and eventually flick the switch and turn the lights on. thousands of people are braving the chilly rain after the lighting of the tree. the stars will take the stage. mariah carey and aretha franklin will be performing. >> we begin with the weather wet and dreary. >> veronica johnson has the

latest on what to expect tonight. >> it's going to be nasty throughout the night. they have more rain to talk about and more nasty weather for the weekend. it means it's a reason to download the storm team 4 weather app. go to google play or the itunes store. what you get is the interactive radar. take a look. you'll be able to do this, zoom right into your neighborhood and see what's going on. look at this, west of winchester, martinsburg and hancock, rain. it's making its way eastward. hagerstown, frederick, gaithersburg and leesburg, you will get the rain in a couple minutes. we have more changing weather coming our way for the weekend with sleet, freezing rain, snow and icy roads. for this evening, though, that rain will be ending shortly after midnight as we go from chilly conditions, rain, wet, nasty, 43 degrees, dropping to

the 30s. that is how most of the temperatures are going to be for the upcoming weekend, in the 30s. in a couple minutes, when i return, i'll show you how much ice we could get across the area. >> barbara, pat? >> thank you. the white house is confirming this afternoon that president obama will travel next week to south africa to join in the memorials to nelson mandela. there's been an outpouring for the man that led one nation and inspired others. steve handelsman is on capitol hill with that part of the coverage. steve? >> reporter: thank you. the grieving here in washington echoes south africa. the memory of nelson mandela is burning brightly. south africans are beginning ten days of good-byes. americans feel the loss. >> ohio and here at this time is just overwhelming. >> reporter: at the south african embassy in washington, hundreds are coming to pay their

respects. >> i'm not sure obama would be president without mandela. >> he's changed not only south africa, but the world. everybody united today. >> reporter: apartheid was his mission. he brought white jailers to his presidential inauguration in

>> reporter: the white house announced president obama will go to south africa joining world leaders and south africans for the funeral of nelson mandela. there will be a major memorial remembrance service here in washington for this foreign leader held in such high esteem by so many americans. i'm steve handelsman, news 4. you can offer your condolences to mandela's family at the national museum of african art. there's a condolence book on display. it will be there. howard university is rescheduling their remembrance celebration. it was supposed to take place today at noon, but they are reorganizing it so the celebration can be bigger. they want a larger tribute. you can see this exhibit next

time you are on campus. it chronicles his life and will be on display through april. for more information on funeral plans, visit www.nbcwashington.com and you can see photos of mandela from throughout his life. a hearing is under way to determine where a casino will go. the video lottery board heard from experts on the three proposals. tracee wilkins reports mgms bid came out on top in nearly every category. it got high marks for profitability and the proposed location at national harbor. she will join us at 5:00 p.m. for the live update. friends and family 06 nancy dunning, the former wife of a sheriff will gather to remember her ten years after her death. she was shot to death in her home back in 2003.

dunning's case remains open with a $100,000 reward to anyone with information leading to her arrest. her husband died in july, 2012. crime prevention goes mobile in virginia. state police unveiled a safety campaign connected to your smartphone. itis part of a mobile app called see something, send something. with the app, you can report suspicious activity to police through pictures and text messages. those who send in tips can remain anonymous. the app is free. if you require immediate police action, call 911. a new acting park police chief takes over today. the deputy police is now the acting chief. robert mcclain assumes the role after being commander of the homeland security division. he's been with the park police since 1991. he succeeds teresa chambers who

announced she was retiring after 35 years on the force. got a sweet tooth you can't control? biology may be to blame. some folks are hard wired to be sugar lovers. >> reporter: i'm liz crenshaw. how do you get a letter postmarked from the north pole? that's the question. the answer is coming

how do you make sure your christmas tree lasts through the holidays? how do you get a letter from santa postmarked from the north pole and does liquor have a shelf life? >> a holidayish edition of ask liz. >> a lot of folks are headed out to christmas tree farms. how do you make sure your christmas tree will last throughout the holidays and prevent it from becoming a fire hazard. >> you simply need to keep the tree hydrated. once you get it home, place the tree in water as soon as possible, no later than eight hours after the trunk is cut. as a general rule, there should be one quart of water per inch of stem in diameter in the christmas tree stand. check the water level often. some may take in a lot of water, especially in the first few

days. keep the tree away from heat sources such as fire sources, heat vents and sunlight. turn off the lights when you leave the house and go to bed. >> next question comes from ann in virginia. ann wants to know if there's a way to get a letter from santa postmarked from the north pole. >> we found this answer. we contacted the post office. they will post mart and mail the letters. all you have to do is write the letter to your child or recipient of your choice and sign it from santa. put it in an envel lope. send i to north pole. the deadline for this, by the way, is tuesday, december 10th. make sure any letters you want postmarked, make sure they are mailed off this weekend. >> don't let the kids know.

last question relates to holiday parties. a viewer wants to know if liquor like vodka or rum have a shelf life. >> threw a party last year and want to use the same bottles. distilled spirits do not spoil unless they are mixed with something else. a regular bottle of liquor is fine, even after it's open. check the label because some drinks like eggnog need to be refrigerated after opening. if you have a question to consider, send it to ask liz@nbcwashington.com. search for me on facebook. coming up at 5:00 tonight, are the poinsettia plants toxic or dangerous to your pets? when you get a rebate do you get charged tax on the original or discounted price? is it worth getting the l.e.d.

lights? we have that answer at 5:00. >> all right. we want to know the answers. thanks, liz. barbara? coming up, eating healthy doesn't just take self-control, it's pricier. we have the number on the cost of eating healthy. parts of the country getting slammed by the inter storm system. creating treacherous conditions. we have a live report from arkansas. veronica, what does the weather look like in our area? >> for us, rain tonight. a winter type weekend with icy travel likely. how much ice and how will it impact your sunday drive and monday morning

a shocking police involved crash is just in. let's go to scott macfarlane at the live desk. >> this is powerful video. the person involved is not seriously hurt. san diego, a san diego sheriff squad making a left turn and slamming into that woman on a mobility scooter. the woman's bag knocked to the ground. fortunately, she's expected to be fine. witnesses tell our sister station in san diego the woman had the right of way. the deputy didn't see her until it was too late. the deputy will not face criminal charges, but an internal investigation is under

way. back to you. >> thank you, scott. a wintry blast of snow and ice is crippling areas right now. winter storm warnings are in effect from texas to ohio tonight. jay gray joins us live from little rock, arkansas where thousands are dealing with the wintry mess. jay? >> reporter: hey, there, barbara. you are right, the middle of the country taking beating now. high winds, ice and snow cause zing major problems. it could get worse as we move into the weekend. a blanket of white covers the plains right now, snow and ice recking communities from texas to ohio. near white-out conditions near illinois created a mess for those who have to be on the roads. in indianapolis, police are dealing with dozens of accidents due to the ice. >> felt like my car was weaving back and forth because it's so slick. >> reporter: across the strike zone, crews are doing what they can, scraping, salting and sanding, trying to stay ahead of

the storm with heavy equipment while it's a hands-on task for others battling the elements. >> be prepared for it. it changes fast. get ready for it. >> reporter: there is no way to prepare for the weight of the ice as it builds. it brought down this marina and cracked a water plain. the ice also snapped tree limbs and power lines. tens of thousands are without electricity in the bitter cold. crews rushing in as fast as they can. there's concern the problems will grow as the storm continues to deliver high winds, snow, ice and misery as it marches to the east. with thousands of families -- >> what is your favorite part of the snow? >> hot chocolate. >> reporter: trying to make the best they can out of a wintry mess. you know, it's a mess that likely won't get better anytime soon. temperatures across the region not expected to climb above

freezing for the next couple days, then another system could bring more winter weather next week. live in little rock, i'm jay gray, news 4. >> it looks cold out there, doesn't it? >> yeah. >> veronica, are we heading into a different pattern? is there a shift here? >> we mentioned that. the more extreme weather we are going see over the next seven days. it's going to be cold. temperatures every day running below average. not today, though. we are hanging on to a little bit of warmth as the temperatures are falling off the capitol nice and bright. we have moderate rain, not too far away west of frederick, maryland and north of winchester. that's what's headed to the east and northeast. right around the area, showers in fairfax, clinton, woodbridge. fredericksburg, you are getting a bit of a break. more rain off to your west around 17. it's moving in.

tomorrow, it's going to be dry. the rain should be ending around 2:00, 3:00 a.m. we'll be in the 40s for a high temperature tomorrow. getting up to 40 and 44 degrees across the area. cold and a little breezy at times, too. fredericksburg, pax river, up to 47 degrees for the high temperature. annapolis, maryland, 46. here is a look at early sunday morning. the snow for a brief period of time, it starts around 9:00, 10:00 a.m. a chance of snow sticks with us until 2:00 or 3:00, then it gets icy as sleet and freezing rain develops with the rain freezing as it comes down and freezing on contact. that means we could have serious conditions around here as we get into late sunday night and early sunday morning. by 3:00 a.m., most of what falls will be shut off by that time. we should see most of our fre e freezing rain end by 3:00 a.m. a dusting to an inch expected around d.c. one to two for frederick,

maryland and leesburg. that's some of the lower elevations that could pick up one to two inches of snowfall. the higher elevations two to three inches of snowfall. i wanted to get to this. this is what really, i think the concern will be on sunday, sunday night and monday morning. that is that snow that switches over to ice. ice that will accumulate, maybe attempt to. a half inch in these areas to the west. fairfax, prince william, areas up around loudoun county could see a tenth to half inch of ice accumulate. that means in these areas, to the west and the north, we could see icy roads, branches down and power outages. of course, slippery travel. as we get into the early travel next week, the temperatures will stay in the 40s and mid-30s starting wednesday of next week. we have some rain right now with the temperature of 45 degrees. but on tuesday of next week, it will be a combination of both rain and snow, i think, as

temperatures fall throughout the day. saturday, a bit of a break for us. sunday, the high just 33 degrees with serious icing taking place around our area. we have more coming up an news 4 at 5:00. >> thanks, veronica. news 4 your health, a study puts a number on eating healthy. the prices of fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts. they compare it to similar quantities of meat, processed foods. the healthier diet costs more than $500 a year per person. spending the extra on the healthy food could save money in the long run. diet related chronic diseases are expensive to treat. growing evidence of the benefits of exercise for cancer patients. one study suggests breast cancer survivor who is walk three to five hours a week reduce the chance of recurrence by 40%. canadian researchers report

exercise can help them manage chemo side effects bert. breast cancer patients who exercised three times a week for an hour felt better than those who exercised an hour or not at all. forget self-control, biology may be to blame for why people can't refuse chocolate. some people are just hard wired to love sweets. the italian researchers found eating chocolate of seeing a picture of a chocolate cake endeuces a sense of euphoria in some people's brains. others barely register the taste. less than a week after the deadly metro train accident surviving passenger speaks out. >> i went off the seat and forward and hit the luggage rack.

>> more of her story, including how she and other passengers tried to save a young nurse. >> we are just minutes away from the president lighting the national christmas tree on the ellipse.

the last moments of someone on the deatr

by someone who tried to save her life. the train conductor has been suspended without pay during the investigation. mark segraves reports. >> reporter: after the derailment that claimed four lives and turned her world upside down, anna cannot shake the memories. she was about to start a cross word puzzle when all hell broke loose. >> i went off the seat forward and hit the luggage rack with my head. >> reporter: anna, who asked we not show her face remembers the sound of metal being peeled like a tin can and then the world rushes in. >> rocks and dirt and wood and bricks. >> reporter: curls in the fetal position, she thought of her husband and daughter and focused on one thing, survival as the train slid, then suddenly, it stopped. >> i opened by eyes and removed the dust from my face. >> reporter: not realizing she

was hurt and bleeding, anna rushed to help other passengers. a among them, a belonged nurse. anna and another passenger grabbed her stethoscope but could not find a heart beat. >> i don't think she felt pain. she just -- she was finishing dying while we were with her. >>reporter: anna wants her family to know about the final moments. >> i want them to know she wasn't alone. we were with her and tried to help her, but couldn't. i'm sorry that we couldn't. but she wasn't alone. i did pray for her. >> reporter: by the time rescuers made their way to anna, she realized her back was injured and she was bleeding. the pain is excruciating. >> my daughter wants me to hold her and i can't really move. >> reporter: she is among the first passengers suing metro

north. peter is her attorney. >> it's important that this accident never happens again and no other people will die in the future. >> the new york police department and bronx prosecutors along with federal transportation officials are investigating the crash. the train engineer said he was in a hypnotic like daze in the seconds before the train barrelled into a sharp curve more than 50 miles an hour above the speed limit. right now on news 4 at 5:00, it's feeling a lot like christmas in washington. we are just minutes away from the lighting of the national christmas tree. plus, bond set for a d.c. police officer charged with taking naked pictures of a 15-year-old girl. what he has to do to get out of jail. >> a rainy evening in our region and a second storm system is coming our way, folks. it's prompting winter storm

watches for the weekend. that storm system is wreaking havoc in dallas. just outside the city, heavy snow and ice trigger asthma rena roof collapse. check out the view for drivers in southern illinois today. they encountered near white-out conditions. the slickness caused several vehicles to run off the road. this is the scene in oklahoma city where you can see cars, even trucks slipping and sliding. right now, here in washington, the rain is coming down hard and this is just the beginning of a messy weekends ahead. we are kicking things off tonight in storm center 4 with chief meteorologist doug kammerer. the rain we are seeing on the radar behind us is round one of a one-two punch. >> the second bunch is going to have the potential to knock us out and could knock out your power. the rain is making its way into the area. the sn t